Any Other Way
by Animercom
Summary: While moving, Kokichi finds an unsent love letter he wrote to Himiko back in Hope's Peak, bringing up memories reminding him why he loves her. Dedicated to and inspired by the Oumeno artist Funabara. Written for Oumeno Week 2019 Day 8's GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY/Free Day prompt.


This was written for Oumeno Week 2019 Day 8's **Giving back to the community**/Free Day prompt. The Giving back to the community prompt is a bit special, as it's authors writing a fic for a favorite Oumeno art/artist and Oumeno artists creating an art based on a favorite writing of theirs.

Funabara, one of my favorite Oumeno artists of all time, is who I dedicate this work to. If you ever google imaged "Oumeno" or "Kokichi and Himiko" you've seen her art, I guarantee. But she doesn't get a tenth of the recognition she deserves on tumblr at least, so Funabara, here's to you! To see which art of hers this fics relates to see here: animercom dot tumblr dot com / post / 189551404057 / any - other - way - animercom - new - dangan - ronpa - v3

Funabara's  
Tumblr: funabara dot tumblr dot com/

Twitter: twitter dot com / sksn_herb

Because ffnet does not support paragraph indentation or block quotes, I had to use italics in places. I hope reading it isn't too hard.

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_Ffffrrpppt! _

Kokichi pulled some package tape across a box's top. Ripped off the piece. Secured the tape in place. Exhaling, Kokichi wiped his forehead. His bedroom closet door swung open, creaking. Inside a dozen other boxes were towered high, waiting to be sorted through and packed. Groaning, Kokichi laid himself bodily over the box. He half-heartedly swiped at the nearest one. Dragged it closer. Opened it. Gasped.

A messy pile of notebooks, notepads, and sketchbooks laid inside. Lips parted, Kokichi picked one up. "Kokichi Oma Ultimate Supreme Leader Homeroom 2-C Math" was written in his small, almost illegible writing. 2-C – his second year at Hope's Peak.

Holding it gingerly as if glass, Kokichi walked to his bare desk. Being in the middle of moving, only boxes, a desk, and his bed remained in his apartment room. A breeze from the open window ruffled Kokichi's hair, smelling of honeysuckle. A tree branch rhythmically bat against the window. The wooden desk radiated the afternoon sun's warmth.

Kokichi flipped through the yellowed and dogeared pages. Doodles filled the margins. Pencil writings had smeared. Many pages were falling out, ripped at the spine. Halfway through, math was forgotten. Bulleted lists and alphanumeric outlines for pranks, witty comebacks, and ideas for outings with friends filled the book.

Kokichi stopped at the last filled-in page. "Himiko Yumeno Analysis" was written at the top. A bulleted list followed.

_·After being super lazy, Himiko has vowed to be more positive and energetic._

_·She volunteered to help move heavy gym equipment. Yelled at the other classmates for reading aloud a passage too quietly, too unenthusiastically. She even helped Keebo start to accept himself as a robot and get Kaito and Maki together._

_·She's always dead tired at the end of the day but when I ask her about it, she smiles and lies saying she's all right._

_oSmile back at her. Let her rest against me when we're snuggling. If she does well enough, reward her with a piggyback ride back to her dorm._

Following the outline Kokichi had started writing in paragraph form. Kokichi lost himself in reading it.

_Every analysis I make is about you. My every thought is about you. When I eat breakfast, I wonder if you're awake, rubbing your eye and yawning cutely like you do during morning classes. In class I look down and see I've been writing your name over and over. At night I stay up way too late coming up with pranks and lies and analyses until I fall asleep and dream of you. Then I wake up and still are dreaming about you. And I don't ever want to stop._

_Now that you've made your vow, I get to see how excitable you are. You know that fizz that wells up after you open a soda can on a warm summer day? You're like that. Bubbly. I get to see a smiling Himiko every day now? That's amazing! Better yet, instead of calling me a pain, you're starting to laugh at my jokes! Man, it feels so satisfying getting you to laugh. I love your laugh. It's this stupid, high-pitched, witchy laugh but I wanna hear all the time. I wanna hear it forever._

_This new side of you is utterly fascinating. An unpredictability I'll never be able to solve. I fall more and more in love with you every day._

A memory arose in Kokichi's mind, from around the time the letter must have been written. Years later Kokichi still remembered the day like it was yesterday.

Sighing, Kokichi leaned against the brick wall enclosing Hope's Peak. Glanced at his phone. Twenty minutes spent sweating in the sun. He exhaled. "Oh, hey Himiko!" Waving heartily, he stopped before the mage on curb. Grinning, Kokichi clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward. "I have a present for youuuu!"

Himiko blinked. Started to smile. Brushing her hair back, the mage looked away, expression neutral. "You do, huh?"

"Aw, cmon. Dontcha wanna know what is it?"

"I bet it's something really lame."

Kokichi embraced Himiko in a hug. "It's my undying love and affection!"

Himiko stiffened. Smiling, the mage rested her head on Kokichi's shoulder. "Nyeh. I guess this isn't too bad of a gift."

Kokichi sucked in a sharp breath. He blinked back tears. After one last squeeze, Kokichi withdrew. The leader cupped his hands over an item. "Just kidding. That wasn't my present. I got one right here."

"Thanks." Himiko pried open his hands. A frog leapt at her. Squealing, Himiko backpedaled. "You stupid dummy! After you just – You bully!"

Holding his stomach, Kokichi bent over laughing.

_Sometimes I wonder if I deserve to be this happy. If I deserve your love. I've done so many bad things in my life. At the very least, I'm an unrepentant liar. And while you made a vow to better yourself, I know I can't help being a liar. Can't change the darkness inside me. There's so many secrets I won't ever share. How can you trust someone who's not honest with you? How could you love them? I wonder if I should even be with you at all._

_But you never worried about it, did you?_

"Kokichi, what were you thinking?!"

The leader stepped off the crowded subway, head held high. Kokichi didn't slow down for the mage's sake. "What I had to. To protect you. To stop that perv from ever touching a girl again."

Himiko pushed her way through the throng of people. Grabbed Kokichi's shoulder and spun him around. "Grabbing his hand would have been enough. Glaring at him. Threatening to call the police. But you _broke_ his fingers!" Face pale, she whispered, "Like it was instinct…"

Kokichi stared at her. Dozens of conversations echoed in the cramped, dimly lit space. "I see," Kokichi breathed. He turned and walked away.

Himiko seized his wrist. "It's okay, Kokichi! You're not some demon!"

Kokichi gasped. Eyes wide, he turned back to her, lips parted. Himiko gazed at the ground. "If that really was instinct… then you've must have been through something horrible before we met. I won't say the past doesn't matter, because it does." Brown eyes smoldering, Himiko squeezed Kokichi's hand. "Because your past shaped you into who you are today. And that's all that matters to me."

Kokichi swallowed hard. Squeezed her hand back.

_The nightmares of before I overcame. Liar though I am, my feelings for you are real. I do deserve the right to be loved, but I haven't earned your love. I have to work just as hard as you are. To be a better person. To trust others instead of pushing them away. To be more honest with my feelings. And if I can't be honest about how crazy I am over you, then how I can tell the truth about anything?_

_One day, I hope I'll have grown enough to show you this. Or, better yet, tell you this to your face. But if I ever show you this letter, I'll burn it after you read the first paragraph. If I ever blurt that I love you, I'll say it's just a lie. Why? The answer's simple._

Sweat slipping down his face, Kokichi raised a liter of soda to his lips. A drop fell on his tongue. Groaning, Kokichi dropped the arm.

"Here. Think fast."

Kokichi caught a box of grape juice Himiko tossed. She tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "I bought this by accident. You have it." Himiko walked off, disappearing in the crowd of ultimates heading to class.

Smiling, Kokichi sipped on the straw, savoring the sweet flavor. _You're a terrible liar. _

_Because you've fallen in love with a lying prankster like me. And you wouldn't have it any other way. Neither would I._

Exhaling slowly, Kokichi leaned back in the desk chair. Outside, the wind rustled the leaves on the honeysuckle tree. He glanced up. An invitation sat on the desk. It read, "You're invited to the wedding of Kokichi Oma and Himiko Yumeno on October…"

Kokichi exhaled a laugh. Looking out the window, he tapped a finger on the desk. Chair creaking, Kokichi leaned forward. Ripped the letter from the notebook. Folded it into a paper airplane. Half-smirking, Kokichi tossed it out the window. A sudden gust of wind swept it up high into the air. The sun shone behind the paper.

Arm behind the chair's back, Kokichi smiled.

"Kokichi!" A voice called from beyond the room. "I need you!"

"Coming!" Kokichi stood, sidestepped some moving boxes, and left out the door.

In his wake specks of dust danced in the air, glowing in the sunlight.

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This is the last Oumeno work of mine this week. I want to thank you if you read and supported any of my works this week as well to all the other participants! Running this week was SO much fun and I hope everyone had fun as well! Let's keep spreading the Oumeno love and appreciation!

Next I'm typing a sequel to Never Bow Low, my take on Kokichi's childhood/backstory, but I expect not to finish it for a few months. In the meantime you might see another fic or two from me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything, guys!


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